Luggage system and folding dolly therefor

Abstract

A luggage system has a dolly connector unit on each of a plurality of luggage pieces; and a dolly including a wheeled base; a handle frame including a parallel spaced pair of telescoping columns projecting from the base, a handle member being rigidly connected between the columns for manipulation of the dolly; a platform pivotally connected to the base on a platform axis proximate the handle frame and having an extended position perpendicular the handle frame and a retracted position against the handle frame, a support for contacting the roadway surface in the extended position of the platform for providing a rest position of the dolly wherein the platform is fixed parallel to the roadway surface with the wheels also contacting the roadway surface, the dolly also having a luggage connector unit supported on the handle frame for coupling the dolly connector units, at least one luggage piece being supportable partly on the platform and partly by the handle frame when the luggage connector unit is coupled to the corresponding dolly connector unit. Counterparts of the luggage connector can be located on the base, corresponding bottom dolly connectors being on a side face proximate a bottom face of the luggage pieces. Each bottom dolly connector can have a cavity portion for receiving a hook portion of a base luggage connector, thereby to register the luggage piece on the dolly.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A luggage system comprising a luggage piece having side and bottom faces and a bottom dolly connector unit fixably located on the side face proximate the bottom face, the bottom dolly connector unit including a cavity portion having a bottom opening, the bottom dolly connector unit also having a catch surface; and a dolly, the dolly comprising: (a) a movable base, a platform fixably located relative to the base;   (b) a handle member fixably locatable relative to the base for manipulation thereof;   (c) a base luggage connector unit supported on the base proximate the platform, comprising an upwardly projecting hook portion for engaging the cavity portion of the bottom dolly connector unit, and a movable latch member for engaging the catch surface, the base luggage connector unit being selectively coupleable with the bottom dolly connector unit for fixably registering the luggage piece on the dolly whereby the luggage piece is rigidly retained on the dolly.   
     
     
       2. A luggage system comprising: (a) a luggage piece having side and bottom faces, a bottom dolly connector unit fixably located on the side face proximate the bottom face, and an elevated dolly connector unit located on the side face in spaced relation above the bottom dolly connector, the elevated dolly connector unit including a rigid latch plate member having a latch plate opening therein; and   (b) a dolly, the dolly comprising: (i) a movable base, a platform fixably located relative to the base;   (ii) a handle member fixably locatable relative to the base for manipulation thereof;   (iii) a base luggage connector unit supported on the base proximate the platform, the base luggage connector unit being selectively coupleable with the bottom dolly connector unit; and   (iv) an elevated luggage connector unit having an elevated latch member, at least a portion of the elevated latch member being insertable into the latch plate opening during coupling of the elevated connector units for fixably registering the luggage piece on the dolly.     
     
     
       3. The luggage system of claim 2, wherein the elevated luggage connector unit comprises a latch frame member connected to the base in spaced relation between the platform and the handle member, the elevated latch member being connected to the latch frame member and movable between open and closed positions relative to the latch frame member, the elevated latch member in the open position thereof being insertable into the latch plate opening during coupling of the connector units, the elevated latch member having a hook portion for holding the latch plate member proximate the latch frame member in the closed position of the elevated latch member. 
     
     
       4. The luggage system of claim 3, wherein the latch member is one of an oppositely disposed pair of elevated latch members, the system further comprising a registration boss fixedly located on one of the elevated connector units, the other of the elevated connector units having a registration opening formed therein for engagement by the registration boss, for guiding the elevated latch members into engagement with the elevated latch plate. 
     
     
       5. The luggage system of claim 4, wherein the luggage latch unit further comprises a latch actuator member movably supported by the latch frame member for simultaneous movement of the elevated latch members between the open and closed positions thereof, and a biasing element for biasing the elevated latch members toward the closed positions thereof. 
     
     
       6. A luggage system comprising a luggage piece having side and bottom faces and a bottom dolly connector unit fixably located on the side face proximate the bottom face; and a dolly, the dolly comprising: (a) a movable base, a platform fixably located relative to the base;   (b) a handle member fixably locatable relative to the base for manipulation thereof;   (c) a base luggage connector unit supported on the base proximate the platform, the base luggage connector unit being selectively coupleable with the bottom dolly connector unit for fixably registering the luggage piece on the dolly;   (d) a pair of axially spaced wheels rotatably mounted relative to the base for rolling the dolly over a roadway surface;   (e) a handle frame connected between the base and the handle, the base luggage connector unit being connected to the handle frame; and   (f) a support member fixably locatable relative to the base,   the dolly having a rest position wherein the platform is disposed in fixed relation parallel to the roadway surface with the wheels and the support member contacting the roadway surface, the handle frame extending perpendicular to the platform, the dolly also having a transport position wherein the platform and the handle frame are together inclined relative to the rest position, the support member being raised from the roadway surface with the wheels rollably supporting the dolly, the luggage piece being supportable partly on the platform and partly by the handle frame when the connector units are coupled together.   
     
     
       7. The luggage system of claim 6, wherein the platform is pivotally connected to the base on a platform axis, the platform axis being located proximate the handle frame, the platform being movable between an extended position perpendicular to the handle frame and a retracted position approximately parallel to the handle frame, the support member being connected to the platform in spaced relation to the platform axis, the platform being in the extended position in the rest and transport positions of the dolly. 
     
     
       8. The luggage system of claim 6, wherein the luggage piece further comprises an elevated dolly connector unit located in spaced relation above the bottom dolly connector unit and the dolly further comprises an elevated luggage connector unit. 
     
     
       9. The luggage system of claim 8, wherein the handle frame comprises a plurality of telescoping members for selectively locating the handle member between an extended position and a retracted position relative to the base, the telescoping members forming a parallel spaced pair of frame columns, the elevated luggage connector unit being connected between corresponding members of each column. 
     
     
       10. The luggage system of claim 9, wherein the elevated luggage connector unit is a first elevated luggage connector and the members are first column members, the dolly further comprising a second elevated luggage connector, the second elevated luggage connector being connected between respective second column members of each column. 
     
     
       11. The luggage system of claim 10, wherein the luggage piece is a first luggage piece, the system further comprising a second luggage piece having a counterpart of the elevated dolly connector unit of the first luggage piece, the luggage pieces being stackable on the platform. with respective ones of the elevated dolly connector units releasably engaging the first and second elevated luggage connectors. 
     
     
       12. The luggage system of claim 9, when the luggage piece is a selected one of a plurality of luggaqe pieces, at least some of the pieces having the elevated dolly connector unit differently spaced from the bottom face, the elevated luggage connector unit being adjustably locatable relative to the platform for alignment with the elevated dolly connector unit of the selected luggage piece. 
     
     
       13. The luggage system of claim 12, further comprising a latch holder for yieldably holding the elevated luggage connector unit on at least one of the column members. 
     
     
       14. A luggage dolly for a plurality of luggage pieces, each luggage piece having a bottom dolly connector fixably located on a face surface proximate a bottom surface thereof, the bottom dolly connector having a cavity portion, the dolly comprising: (a) a base having an axially spaced pair of wheels rotatably mounted thereto for engaging a roadway surface;   (b) a handle frame projecting from the base and including a parallel-spaced pair of column members;   (c) a platform connected to the base for extending therefrom approximately perpendicular to the handle frame while supporting a luggage piece, the platform having a support member for contacting the roadway surface in a rest position of the dolly wherein the platform is disposed in fixed relation parallel to the roadway surface with the wheels also contacting the roadway surface, the dolly also having a transport position wherein the platform and the handle frame are together inclined relative to the rest position with the support member raised from the roadway surface and the wheels rollably supporting the dolly; and   (d) a base luggage connector unit supported on the base proximate the platform and between the columns of the handle frame for engaging the bottom dolly connectors of the luggage pieces, the base luggage connector unit comprising: (i) a housing having a hook portion projecting therefrom for engaging the cavity portion of the bottom dolly connector, at least one luggage piece being supportable partly on the platform and partly by the handle frame when the hook portion is engaging the cavity portion;   (ii) a base latch member supported by the housing and movable between respective latching and releasing positions, the base latch member having an engagement shoulder, the engagement shoulder being operative for securing the bottom dolly connector of a luggage piece on the hook portion of the housing in the latching position of the base latch member; and   (iii) a base latch actuator for moving the base latch member between the latching and releasing positions, the latch member being formed for freely permitting entry and exit of the hook portion of the housing relative to the cavity portion of the, bottom dolly connector in the releasing position of the base latch member.     
     
     
       15. The luggage dolly of claim 14, for at least some of the luggage pieces having an elevated dolly connector located in spaced relation above the bottom dolly connector, the dolly further comprising: (a) an elevated luggage connector unit supported on the handle frame for engaging the elevated dolly connectors of the luggage pieces, the elevated luggage connector unit comprising: (i) an elevated latch frame member, at least one luggage piece being supportable partly on the platform and partly by the handle frame when the elevated connector units are coupled together;   (ii) an elevated latch member supported by the latch frame member and movable between respective latching and releasing positions, the elevated latch member having an engagement shoulder, the engagement shoulder being operative for securing the elevated dolly connector of a luggage piece against the latch frame member in the latching position of the elevated latch member; and   (iii) an elevated latch actuator for moving the elevated latch member between the latching and releasing positions, the elevated latch member being formed for freely entering and exiting the elevated dolly connector in the releasing position of the elevated latch member.     
     
     
       16. A luggage piece for a system including a dolly for transporting luggage pieces and having a movable base, a handle frame fixably extending from the base for manipulation thereof, a platform connected to the base and extendable approximately perpendicular to the handle frame, a base luggage connector unit fixably located on the base proximate the handle frame and including a protecting hook portion and a movable latch member, the luggage piece comprising: a container having side and bottom faces, a bottom dolly connector unit fixably located on the side face proximate the bottom face for selectively coupling with the base luggage connector unit when the side face is against the handle frame and the bottom face is against the platform, the bottom dolly connector unit having a cavity portion for receiving at least a portion of the protecting hook portion, the bottom dolly connector unit being formed having a catch surface for engagement by the latch member whereby the luggage piece is rigidly retained in fixed registration on the dolly. 
     
     
       17. The luggage piece of claim 14, wherein the bottom dolly connector unit includes a latch plate member having a latch plate opening for receiving the latch member, the latch plate member being mounted with the latch plate opening in spaced relation to an outside surface of the luggage piece. 
     
     
       18. A luggage system comprising a luggage piece having side and bottom faces and a dolly connector structure fixably located on the side face, the dolly connector structure including a cavity portion having a bottom opening, the dolly connector structure also including a latch plate having a catch surface; and a dolly, the dolly comprising: (a) a movable base;   (b) a handle frame rigidly extending from the base for manipulation thereof;   (c) a luggage connector structure, comprising an upwardly projecting hook member on the base for engaging the cavity portion of the dolly connector structure, a latch frame connected to one of the base and the handle frame, a latch member being movably supported by the latch frame for engaging the catch surface, the luggage connector structure being selectively coupleable with the dolly connector structure with the hook member engaging the cavity, the latch frame contacting the latch plate, and the latch member engaging the catch surface for fixably registering the luggage piece on the dolly whereby the luggage piece is rigidly retained on the dolly.   
     
     
       19. The luggage piece of claim 18, wherein the latch plate member has a latch plate opening for receiving the latch member, the system further comprising a registration boss fixedly located on one of the latch plate and the latch frame, the other of the latch plate and the latch frame having a registration opening formed therein for engagement by the registration boss, for guiding the latch member into engagement with the latch plate member. 
     
     
       20. The luggage piece of claim 18, wherein the dolly further comprises a pair of axially spaced wheels rotatably mounted relative to the base for rolling the dolly over a roadway surface.